Don’t Let Thursday Pass Without Paying Respect To Our Veterans

Former Servicemen Give Their Thoughts On Veterans Day ‘10

by Michael Stanley Staff Writer

The senior airmen pictured above, left to right, served in the U.S. Army as helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War: Warrant Officers Cole, Brown, Dodson and Spencer native CW2 Don Schneider. (Courtesy Photo)
For Vietnam War veteran Don Schneider of Spencer, Veterans Day isn’t just another day. While it’s also his wedding anniversary with his wife, Carol, Schneider also remembers those who never came home to get married.

Schneider, a Warrant Officer Four, flew a Huey helicopter with the 12th Aviation Group from 1969 through 1970, a nine-month portion of which he was working with the Fifth Special Forces.

“The difference between a real war story and one from some liar is that all fairy tales start out, ‘Once upon a time,’ but war stories start out, ‘Now, this isn’t any bullshit,” Schneider said. “Basically, I don’t try to tell war stories from Vietnam, because my contention is when you talk about Vietnam, the people who actually served did their job and will very seldom talk about it. Most were not treated as they should have been. So many did their jobs exceptionally well and helped those who had to be there. So many say very little, but some things were just unbelievable, most won’t believe what happened to most people.”

U.S. Army helicopter pilot CW2 Don Schneider was caught taking a nap near his Huey on the runway of an unknown location in Vietnam while on standby to pick up a unit. (Courtesy Photo)
A significant issue troubling many veterans, specifically from the Vietnam era and the most recent conflicts has been the claim to be a veteran by a civilian who has never seen basic training, let alone combat.

“A lot claim to have been there and tell big stories, but the true Vietnam veterans were the guys who did their job because it was their job and did what they had to do. To me, that was great,” Schneider explained. “A lot of veterans look at things differently, but you will find the people who actually did things for others are the ones who talk to each other. If you talk to those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a difference in the ways people look at war, depending on the war. Most who served did what they should do and I really appreciate it.”

Schneider noted that a majority of people think of Vietnam as an allout constant battle, but he notes a different side of war.

“I saw G.I.’s help North Vietnamese. They would fight them tooth and nail, but would help them when they were wounded,” he said. “It’s just the American way, we helped out a lot more than people realize.”

Likely the biggest problem with the public’s view of the Vietnam War, Schneider said, is partially blaming the men for a political decision they had little choice in and simply did their duty to the best of their ability.

“Most true veterans are always joking and laughing, they remember the good and try to forget the bad. If you remember the good, whether you agreed with the war or not, you felt good about what you did,” Schneider noted. “I try to talk to people and explain how these people were and how they are now. Vietnam is so stereotyped, but if you stop and think, some of the most successful people now are Vietnam vets. They used what they knew to climb the ladder and didn’t tell anyone about their service, they just worked hard. The attitude is changing towards veterans as a whole now.”

Schneider also noted that not all G.I.’s were busy partying during their deployment, and even some who did let loose could still perform when called upon.

“It was very easy for me, because there were people who smoked and drank this and that, but because I flew, I could go out with the crew chief and gunner, they would drink, but when that first shot fired at us, they were sober as a judge,” Schneider said. “But when they were on drugs, they didn’t really know how to cope with the situation.”

Despite the variety of missions he saw, Schneider said his most enjoyable assignments were in aid of fellow soldiers on the ground.

“I was the old man, I was 22, most of the guys were 19 or 20. I got to see and get in on a lot. Most pilots got more joy out of medical evacuations or hauling water, ice or mail,” he added. “These were the types I really enjoyed, because they helped those guys on the ground.”

For Schneider, each Veterans Day is special for various reasons, both good and bad.

“Over the last seven years, Veterans Day is always special, partially because I got married on that day. But, it’s a day for people who served, because they were trying to do their job, not for the people who tell stories that cannot be believed,” Schneider said. “Veterans Day is an enjoyable day, but you also spend time remembering the people who did not make it back, the true veterans who gave their life. Veterans Day is more for those who died, which is sad, but they are the ones who should be thought of and held at a very high regard.”

Buck Sergeant Lloyd Brunner served as a finance clerk with the U.S. Air Force from 1951-1955 during the Korean War.

“I think it’s an awful great day. I never saw hard combat, however, I was at a troop carrier base that flew into Korea,” Brunner recalled. “I was stationed at an air base in southern Japan. I kept duty rosters and voluntarily went overseas and ended up in the operations and training office with a major. He was tough and I was a flunky, the worst butt chewing I ever got in my life was over a half-bottle of ink. He was a good man though, he’d loan me his car and I’d drive all over Japan.”

Brunner, who now makes his home in Gosport, is a native of the New Hope area.

“It’s a day to observe and pay thanks. It is something where, even me included, it’s easy not to imagine what those boys went through in World War II, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Korean War was a slaughterhouse and Vietnam was definitely a slaughterhouse, and it was a political war, which just made it worse on the boys,” Brunner added. “I think they need to pay more attention to who the veterans are and what they have done during military funerals.”